after some shoveling and after the storm was over

a hole through the front porch drift so the mailman could've gotten through. Through rain and snow and sleet, etc.? no, he didn't come



How much snow??



King of the Hill

yes, there was a blizzard

So you think you have snow???

Dad helped so many people who got stuck in and around our house. we have 4+ feet drifts..the main front yard is up to dad's knees. I'm enjoying by staying indoors and looking at the beauty. It is pretty if you don't have to go anywhere. Debra and kev got cabin fever and went out in the midst of it. Her truck has 4 wheel drive which she needed. All stores were closed except best buy. so they hung out there for a while. even McDonald's was closed. I am trying to upload pictures, but google is being crappy.

ok....here is try #3 for pics.

Stake conference got cancelled both yesterday and today. Columbus stake conference was cancelled too.

ok try#4, and if it doesn't work, i'll try later. but lotsalotsa snow. and cool giant drifts. makes me wish i was a kid to make igloos and tunnels.

just junk

Actually, I can only second Barack Obama, who responded to the Nader announcement thusly: “He thought that there was no difference between Al Gore and George Bush, and eight years later I think people realize that Ralph did not know what he was talking about.”

The Ultimate Rejection Letter


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Herbert A. Millington
Chair - Search Committee
412A Clarkson Hall, Whitson University
College Hill, MA 34109

Dear Professor Millington,

Thank you for your letter of March 16. After careful consideration, I
regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me
an assistant professor position in your department.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually
large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field
of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite Whitson's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in
rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at
this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor
in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,
Chris L. Jensen


http://www.chaosmatrix.org/library/humor/reject.html

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/06/self-discipline/

yeah, right. good one

I found this on "by common consent" blog and immediately thought of my children. Good ones. It is talking about translation of BOM

parents. This is a surprising challenge to deal with, because there isn’t a word for “parents” in Biblical Hebrew. (If you do a search on parent in the KJV OT, you’ll see the word never appears in that entire literature.) This isn’t a problem for the modern translations, since Modern Hebrew has since supplied a word for parents, horim. Chronicles oddly has “I, Nephi, son of good ones (good parents).”

Fractured Fairy tales

A blast from the past, as noted by http://weeklyscheiss.blogspot.com/

Linking makes me crazy.

I used to watch these all the time as small blips inserted in other saturday morning funnies..this one is Sleeping Beauty.



ah, actually, as i saw more, i realized it was during Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Here is Rapunzel...



enjoy all of them. Just not all at the same time, cause you'll never have time to overprotect your children. (see last post)(no, i don't want to look cool and make it a link. just scroll down, goofballs!)

Protecting my kids

This essay/posting by Mrs. G. of "derfwad manor" was so touching. I remember all this, and I still am like it. Obviously she is posting somewhere else.

http://flawedbutauthentic.com/2008/02/29/a-little-bit-more/#comments

So, yeah, I was and am overprotective, but I challenge those mommies out there to do any differently. If you can, good for you. I can't help it.

Happy Leap Day

Well, we've just finished our date, and i really really need to go to bed to sleep, but i wanted to wish you a happy leap day before i couldn't for the next 4 years.

I hate the CC

So, Kevin got to learn the realities of life without insurance. He made an appointment to see the dr at 4 on tuesday. Then, when they found out that he didn't have insurance they said he had to talk to "emily". When he talked to her, she said he should come in early to talk to her before his appointment.

We got their at 3:45. Waited for 15 minutes for "emily", who had gone on vacation stepped out. She didn't return before four, so we went down to his appt and said we'd come back. By the way, did I mention we were in a blizzard?? and that i really really didn't want to go out driving in the mess? Or that it was made clear at the appointment making stage that we would be paying the entire obscene amount when we were there?? No, i forgot that part, but we did.

We get down to the appointment check in and the lady says she cannot find kev's name on the list. As she looked harder, she found that the appt was cancelled 2 minutes after it was made. Because he DIDN'T HAVE INSURANCE. Even though all the above. And, gee, she was sorry that no one informed us. And gee, the entire dr. service of family practice AND internal medicine could not fit him in--try tomorrow. Why? so we could waste more time???? but i digresss.

They sent us to see another "financial counselor". i guess that was what emily was, although no one told us that. Turns out, that because he didn't have insurance, he has to call a financial counselor and put down $100 before they will even make an appt. for him. It's not enough that they take the $100 before he sees the doctor. no, before he can even make an appt. so, in sickness, when you have to call to make an appt between 8 and 8:15 when all the same day appts are gone, you can't call until after you call emily. Then you can be told that they don't have any appts left. Grrrrr. I hate the Cleveland Clinic. I hated them before for stuff. But now i hate them again and still. World-class medicine indeed.

Brantley indeed...or is it Brantleigh?

Seriously, haven't you ever wanted to say this???



it came from http://weeklyscheiss.blogspot.com/

For all children everywhere

To avoid plagiarizing, this came from

http://weeklyscheiss.blogspot.com/ Now i tried 4 (million) times to put this up as a link, but it wasn't happening. so cut and paste if you care.

A Prayer for Children
by Ina J. Hughes

We pray for children who put chocolate fingers everywhere,
who like to be tickled,
who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants,
who sneak Popsicles before supper
who erase holes in their math workbooks,
who can never find their shoes.

And we pray for those who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never go to the circus,
who never "counted potatoes,"
who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead near,
who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who sleep with the dog and bury the goldfish,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,
who cover themselves with Band-Aids and sing off-key,
who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,
who slurp their soup.

And we pray for those who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean,
whose pictures are not on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real.

We pray for children who spend their allowances before Tuesday,
who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,
who like ghost stories,
who shove dirty clothes under the bed and never rinse the tub,
who get visits from the tooth fairy,
who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,
who squirm in church or temple
and scream in the phone,
whose tears we sometimes laugh at,
and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime,
who will eat anything,
who aren't spoiled by anybody,
who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
who live and move, but have no being.

We pray for children who want to be carried
and for those who must.
For those we never give up on, and
for those who don't get a second chance.
For those we smother,
and for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it. . .

More random web browsing

Hey, you guys, remember mr. silly???





This, from "Hollywood Flakes":

This X-ray shows a boy who swallowed magnetic pieces of a block one at a time. When they hit his stomach, they reconnected.




So you thin that cats have hairball problems?? this from a human



by the way, she stopped eating her hair.

actually, the things people ate came from
http://www.oddee.com/item_92016.aspx


This is also from hollywood flakes,

I was reading some threads in a teacher's forum today and found that most teachers of young children deal with pica. A frequently asked question among the teachers was, "How do I make them stop?" I liked one teacher's response for how she dealt with her first graders. She says:

"What's in you mouth!? Now if you accidentally swallow that thing I am going to have to get it out. Do you see how big my hand is? I'm going to have to stick my big hand down your throat. You can be sure that it will hurt. If you don't want my big fat hand down your throat then you better get that thing out of your mouth and keep it out!"
She reports and almost 100% effective rate for her method

just gotta share

http://hollywoodflakes.blogspot.com/2006/07/teenage-sleeper-primer.html


from derfwad manor

Temple trips

Alright, I confess. One of my goals, since last October, has been to go to the temple every month. I got myself a partner in this endeavor. Then we decided that, as long as we were going down to Columbus, we'd open it up to anyone who wanted to go with us. I was in charge of details. I made sure that the YW peeps knew, and the Primary peeps. We have been going now for 5 months. Last month or so, we had a new RS presidency called. Next thing I know, the temple trips are in the bulletin. It says to contact either me or the RS president. So, now, I no longer know if peeps want to go, cause they may be contacting her. I don't know if I need to get another driver. I don't know if peeps are cool with Columbus (i.e. notification).

I feel like MY project is now a RS project and that bugs me. I feel like just going myself and not telling anyone. If I had a bigger heart, I guess I would be thrilled to get help from the RS prez and thrilled that maybe more people who were cutting out after sacrament might go. But mostly, I feel angry. And going to the temple shouldn't be combined with anger.

Am I just petty?? I feel like if the RS or Enrichment committee wanted to set up something, they should have done it. If it's your project, you handle the details and I'll just decide if I want to come with you.

Cuba

I don't know why this is in my head, but why are we still having an embargo against Cuba?? There are many worse countries in the world whose politics "we" don't agree with. Apparently, this came about because Cuba nationalized some american businesses. But that was in 1962, folks. Give it up.

I can't make the link work, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_Cuba

web browsing

This was on a post from "amythemom" http://www.amythemom.com/. Note the power strip floating between the two flipflops.





Guess who I am not gonna vote for???

Although I think a woman could be president. I just don't want THIS woman.

for Braden

I just finished a Lisa Gardner book called "the other daughter". This one is NOT representative. It reeked royally. I could only figure that it was written before the others and when the other got good reviews, they dug this one out that they wrote when they were 15. Skip it. really really reeked.

I only go where the car takes me

A few weeks ago I was heading to Lifeworks (gym) for swimming. I was toddling along bagley when all of a sudden i found myself at the dead end of a street. At which point i woke up and said, "where am I??" I still don't know the name of the street, but for some reason I turned right on one of the many streets by the Olmsted falls schools. I still don't know why i turned there.

a little bit of this..a little bit of that

First, on the serious side, http://www.ksl.com/?sid=&nid=520# shows the press conference announcing/introducing the new first presidency. It is 40 minutes long, but the statements from the three are done in 10 minutes. President Eyring looks like a puppy...so eager. I really like him. and President Uchtdorf. I'll work on the other one.

Funny from snide remarks. If you go to google.com and type in "chuck norris" and hit "I'm feeling lucky", you get http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/ However if you go to google.com and type in "find chuck norris" and hit "i'm feeling lucky", you get http://clients.arranschlosberg.com/chuck/ , which is just hysterical.

I swam 20 laps and walked 3 laps yesterday and did my stretching exercises in the warm pool also. Plus went to Walmart, Gordon Food Service, the library, and Marc's Berea for grocery shopping. I rock. Don't applaud, just send money.

New First Presidency

So, it is President Monson, with President Eyring as 1st counselor and President Uchtdorf (sp) as second counselor.

Tribute to President Hinckley

I found this link on MormonMomma. It is about 4 minutes long. very cool.

http://deseretnews.com/photo/sslides/detail/1,5498,40,00.html?linkTrack=rotator:cvr

also, a cool photo spread in the slc tribune:

http://extras.sltrib.com/tribphoto/Gallery.asp?ID=84514&PubDate=2008-02-04&GID=HINCKLEY%5F0128 check out the lapels, man.

They say the new first presidency will be announced today.

so look

i made 4 blogs, not counting this one, and no comments. although if everyone wasn't vomitting, i bet carolyn would have blogged.

Authors again

Lisa Gardner. whoa. just whoa. I think only Braden shares my taste in authors, but I just gotta say that she is fantastic. I never want to stop, even to sleep. Suspense till the end, though I have guessed the bad guy before. I want to write as well as she does.

Mother Hubbard

and when I got there, the cupboard was bare.

Yes, it was true. Usually I send someone down to the food storage in dad's office, which is where we put the things to make powdered milk or chlorined water taste better. I mean, in this instance, I had a true year's supply. Imagine my horror when I went down to get some and there were none left and NO ONE TOLD ME I WAS GETTING LOW. I had to rejoin BJ's in order to get it, cause all Costco carries are the envelopes. My membership had expired from costco anyway. I wasn't going to join any shopping club until this tragedy happened. But before I handed over my money, I checked to make sure that the product was there. 10 canisters, baby. I'll have to go again to fill up for a year. Imagine, though, this giant canister was only $4.99?? There's a deal.

C'mer, c'mer

Isn't he really?? This was from a blog i read.

Almost as good as jenna:

President Hinckley

What a neat funeral. Onlybad part is that he is dead. not much to do about that.

i live for comments

if you want me to blog more, comment more. there is a 1:1 ratio here.

giberty dollops

every time i read y'all's blogs, i think, "i am going to blog today". but by the time i read through yours and the other's that i read, it is waaaaay late and i have to go get stuff done. but know that i read yours every day. except when i have no internet.

Like when we (kev and I) went to detroit last week. Oh, i could've had it if i wanted to pay for it. I figured i would be home in a couple of days, so i waited. Kev wanted to spend some time with his online girlfriend in person. so i relented. he enjoyed himself very much, while i read books and watched cable. i loved the show "how it is made". it was on discovery channel. among other things, i watched an artificial leg get fitted and made. fascinating. another good reason we choose not to have cable. i'd veg completely.

I have recovered my cell phone. thanks for prayer. i know it was by this that i got back the phone...ask me and i'll tell you on the "phone".

one of my goals, starting last october or so is to go to the temple monthly. i have opened it up to other relief society members, and besides the temple, it has given me a chance to know others better. the car rides and conversations are fun. In march and april we have to go to detroit, as the columbus temple is undergoing some construction.

President Hinckley

I have got to say that I think he was my favorite church president. I loved his sense of humor and admired his fortitude at his age globetrotting. I also admired his full embracement of newer technology, seeing its good possibilities without focusing only on its bad. I love pres. hinckley

hello

i thought i'd sit at the computer and see if something comes up to blog about. i read all of yours every day, so i need to contribute.

dad is downstairs putting in drywall from the flood at kerry's reception.

yeah, good times. may we never flood again.

ryan's curls

I just found this photo which explains why i loved ryan's baby hair

Ode to Ryan

And then there was Ryan. I fell in love with him early. He was such an undemanding baby-so much so that at his 5 month checkup they told me I was starving him (i wonder if there was a referral for neglect???). I told them that I fed him on demand. Whenever he woke up, I fed him. So, anyway, he slept 5 hours at at time. He was only 11 pounds at that checkup. whoops.
But I remember saying that if i could clone him, i'd make a million. dollars, that is. not a million ryans.

Ryan had the most amazing strawberry blonde curls (soft curls) as a baby. I hated to cut it. Nowadays, when i see him, i invariably ask, do you want me to cut your hair??? It is still as curly, just not as soft.

One time in church, someone told me that ryan looks just like me. I was flabbergasted (just wanted to use that word). because he looks exactly like his dad. then i found out that they sat behind us, and what looked like me were his facial expressions. oh oh.

Ryan does so many things well. He is excellent at math, yet writes stories, novels and poetry. Usually, you're good at math or language. He's got them both. Although he still cannot draw to save his life.

Ryan has always had a sense of self. He knows who he is, and cannot be persuaded to do something against his will. Peer pressure was not very effective. He stands up for what he believes.

Ryan is a gentle soul. It takes a lot to get under his skin. Most of it rolls off. But make no mistake. if it matters, you will know it. The few times I have seen his anger, it was a blitzkrieg. or maybe a Pompeii. Just get out of the way till he calms down. But when he calms down, he still loves you.

Ryan is carrying a big load lately. He is working full time while taking his senior level courses in engineering. It has been hard physically and emotionally. He has a very very tight budget. But i haven't heard too much complaining about it. i mean, the job stinks, but he still performs it well, and is invaluable to his manager who should immediately give him a big fat raise. His manager said to him that he was a great employee: He comes to work on time, does his work without complaint, and does all the things he is supposed to do for work. Ryan was surprised that that was a big deal to the manager. How else would he act??? But the manager knew, as most managers do, that not everyone has the integrity to do those things. It was one of the most irritating and frustrating thing to see as a manager that everybody didn't just do their jobs well. they didn't care. Give the man a raise so he can pay his rent.

Ryan waited to rebel until he went to college. I just didn't see it as a teenager. He is paying for that rebellion now, but at least he can see that it didn't help.

Ryan would and will make an excellent husband and father. I have seen the way he treats women, and would not hesitate to recommend him to the job. He is tender and sweet, although he sometimes hides that side. But if he loves you, you will know it. I hope i see little strawberry blonded kids while i live. No need to comment on that, ryan.

Ryan has so many interests. He will never suffer from excessive time that he can't fill. this is a blessing and a curse. talk to his dad about it. He enjoys World of Warcraft, origami, computer games, creative writing, Scotland heritage, Russia and Russians and russian, Putin, legos, star destroyers, Palpatine the Emperor, sleeping on the floor, waterbeds, having money, jettas, jedis, rap music (go figure), classical music, playing viola, soulmates, girls, libraries, movies, spiders, etc. I can't keep going on. Ask him.

Ryan, I would still clone you. Here's to you, Ryan, ry, wheat, oats, barley, farley, fudge!!

An Ode to Carolyn

Don't worry, i have several other odes in mind. but i can't do them all at once.

I was reading a blog today about whether or not mormons really believe that the most important work they will do is within the walls of their own homes and the replies were to that and also to the worth of mothers staying at home vs. making a career choice outside of the home. Who matters more?? now, i say, unequivicably that some women have no choice. I respect and honor them. Having been a single mother, i know that it is a tough choice. hard as hades. not enough support. I have also worked while married at times to bring the income to a level that was sustainable by life. also hard, but not as. This is not disrespecting of anyone.

Luckily, Carolyn has a husband who makes enough money to enable her to stay at home (ode to follow later). In some ways then, it would sound like she has it made. But I know from first hand experience that stay-at-home moms have incredible challenges all their own.

Carolyn is an exceptional mother. She is better at this than I ever was, and I am not saying this because I am depressed about my efforts. I was okay. I have great kids, so I must have done some things right. This is about her.

I recently had the opportunity to share a few days in the M. household. While much louder than i am used to presently (mine were noisy at this stage also), i was so impressed by the order and discipline present. I never heard Carolyn raiase her voice, although I am sure that happens occasionally. All issues were handled firmly, but fairly. And there were many issues, as happens with 4 children. Those kids know that she loves them, but they also know that she means business when she disciplines. So much so that there were few time outs for the number of minor squabbles that always happen with kids.

I have been there other times when I have seen Carolyn running kids to and fro to preschool, parks, speech and occupational therapy, and piano lessons. This is not what is easy for her, but a recognizable sacrifice to make sure her kids have what they need. And she takes everyone, not expecting someone to always bail her out on childcare so she can do these things a little easier. I know that the kids will realize that the family is all for one and one for all.

I could go on and on about just the sacrifices for A. Having a child with asperger's is a challenge in and of itself. It adds layers of difficulty in loving and accepting and still striving for normalcy and disciplining and and and. The progress that A. has made is astounding. Yes, she gets the aid of an aide :) in school and preschool, and the therapy mentioned above, but I am confident that much of that would not have succeeded without the reinforcement and constant watchfulness of her parents. The making clear of what is expected with consistent reminders and consequences is astounding. Even the the sign on the bathroom towels: No poop on the towels. Use toilet paper to wipe.

I know that Carolyn has times when she shuts herself in her room to have a good cry. All mothers should be allowed time-outs too. But then, it's back to work raising fine children able to take their place in the world with a solid support behind them---and they all will know it.

I could go on, but i think i will stop now. Carolyn, I appreciate you and your neverending sacrifice and love for my son and my grandchildren. hang in there

Kevin gave me permission

So, kevin goes to college on tuesdays (other days too). david takes him to the bus in the early am. because he could possible miss the bus or stay late, on that day i give him my cell phone to call when he is close to great northern mall (pick up site). it is usually about 2:30. so about said time, he calls me FROM MY CELL PHONE to my HOME PHONE. this is very important to distinguish, or it makes no sense. in his defense, he didn't get much sleep the night before.

i am feeling goofy, as often happens. so, when i said hello, he said, it's time to get me. i said, oh, i'm sorry i can't. he says, oh. why not? i tell him it is because i am in kentucky right now and can't get there in time. he thinks, not says, i guess i'll walk around the mall a little bit til she gets here. i start laughing, and he asks what is so funny?? i tell him to think. he has the cell phone. i ANSWERED THE HOME PHONE. he still doesn't get it. (very sleep deprived, i guess) i ask, how can the home phone be in kentucky?? pause, pause. "It's not very nice to make fun of tired people." no, indeed. but fun.

How come...

If, in every dispensation, Heavenly Father or Jesus commands the people to write a record of what is happening, why is our record of the time when Jesus was on the earth not written until 60-70 A.D.? This is such an important time, i would think He would not want to trust the memories of the apostles for that long a time. When He came to america, he says, why didn't you write the account of samuel the lamanite? Surely His actual teachings and activities and church setting-up would be important to get right. right now. someone write this down.

musings from the alcs

spit. they all spit. breathe, breathe, spit. breathe, breathe, spit. the field must be lousy slick with all the additional moisture. esp. the pitcher's mound. i hope, think that not everybody was chewing tobacky, what with all the info about mouth, tongue cancer. so, it probably is gum, rather than chaw. the spittle is clear. (tmi???) but what is up with this? are their swallowing muscles destroyed when they sign a big league contract?? (probably is the same with minor leagues, just i don't watch them.) Think of the dugouts. they must have depends laid out on the floors. either that or a mesh grid with drainage to the sewers underneath. watch terry francona, boston coach, sometime. i would hate to go out to dinner with these guys. here you are at 21 or some fancy place, and they're spitting all over the floor. sorry, waiter, could you get a mop? wet cleanup at table 7! it is a new classification for equal rights. i'm handicapped by atrophy of the swallowing muscles. sorry. sorry. bring a humidor.

Also, if you are watching, i now know where ryan gets his ideas for facial hair. he watches too much boston red sox tv. they nearly all have funky chin hair. lots of soul patches. some strange sideburns.

go, tribe. you are your worst enemy. you don't have to fear the red sox, you need to stop giving them the game. but, really, go tribe!!

Gone Goth

It is just more important to me to stay close to my youngest son than any silly old rules

drink me under the table

so, i am experimenting with something fast and nutritious for breakfast. the rule is, it doesn't need to be cooked, it has to taste good, it must have some nutritive value, and i shouldn't get hungry for at least 3-4 hours after ingesting.

so, i went to vitamin shoppe and got little packages of a soy powder, mix with milk item. i bought several flavors.

they were pretty good, esp. the chocolate. so i bought a big can of it.

i mix it with a banana. yes for taste, nutrition, and no cooking. but i get hungry within an hour.

today, i mixed milk, banana, chocolate mix, hersheys(i put too much milk in it) and 1/2 cup of oatmeal. the vitamix shreds everything. you want to liquify stone, put some in a vitamix on high. the jury is still out, as i am drinking my second glass now (i told you i put too much milk in it!). you can't taste the oatmeal, which is good. it has all the above qualities, we are just waiting for duration of satiation (i just wanted to use the word).

stay tuned

ryan, don't read this

which by saying, ensures that he will. oh, well, i warned you. i do not like spiders. therefore, these two http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/spider-remarks/ and http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/the-adventures-of-spider-and-man/ are quite the same statement i would make. carolyn, i tried to put a picture of a spider here from google, but i couldn't get it.

new vocabulary

it isn't often that i come across a new word, being such an avid reader. i think the last one was "logy". i am reading the 3rd in the trilogy started by willow (shadow moon, shadow dawn, shadow star). i guess that's a quadralogy?? any way, i'm on shadow star. in these books though, i've come across the word "ensorcelled", which means under a charm or sorcery. The people of Angwyn were ensorcelled. i guess you could say i am ensorcelled by ensorcelled.

As if...

welcome to my 100th post!!!

i had to go to tri-c for kevin to get him english books friday. now why he didn't get them himself when he was there early or late waiting for a bus is a whole nother rant post.

but i got the familiar to all sticker shock as i paid $80 for a softcover 5X8 book and $40 for the same size used one. what a racket, i again thought.

so i get up to the cashier, and i'm complaining about what a racket when i apologize to her saying that i knew it wasn't her fault, when she says, "as if.."

we agreed that there was no way she would be standing there checking people out of the bookstore if she indeed had that "racket". but we each spent a minute pondering how nice it would be if we did.

then i came home, went to amazon.com and purchased these and his other textbooks for much less. some cost $1.50 or #3.00 but all of them were a steal after the bookstore. i know there are other sites where this can be done, but amazon has always been on time for me and i didn't want to have ryan's dilemma last semester when his books never came.

old lady

wish i could find a picture of a little old lady with her cane, hobbling along a road, maybe helped by a friendly boy scout. that would be me, whose "real age" is a whopping 87.4. i guess i'll just die now. nice to know you all.

i mean: exercise more. yes. let's talk about pain.
take less medication. yes. let's talk about pain
sleep less. let's talk about sleep disorder
less meds. but take them for cholesterol and thyroid
see my dr for history of ovarian cancer. oh wait. i did already, and i have no ovaries anymore. guess that's not a high risk of death anymore.

please come to my funeral, all you younger than young children

HHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY

Okay, i couldn't resist. harrymania is back, with interlocking book and movies to drive ourselves nuts with, so i must direct you to http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/wand-for-the-money/ muy funnioso.

myself, i am just trying to clean things and not always have the house so messy. lots of luck. trying to throw stuff out. the problem is, it goes to my office while i am trying to sort it, so my office is awful till it gets done. not fair.

i could cheat and make this 5 posts but i'll put it all in one

it's going to be 92 today. good day to stay inside i think . oh wait. i finally got a doctor's appointment. when is it? well, when is it going to hit that high? say, 3:45? you got it. that's my time.

kevin has finally hit the teenage "i want to be independent and i'm sick of you telling me what to do" phase. finally. so we are having a home evening on goals or steps to get kevin independent. things like a job that will support him, knowing how to balance a checkbook (having a checkbook), knowing how to drive, basic cooking and shopping. but how hard is it to make a salami sandwich, you say.

i heard on the radio, an hourlong program, that if you are stressed and eat a high fat, high sugar diet, you get fat. imagine that. one wonders how they can talk for an hour about this NEW news.

Grandpa wants his reunion movie for new years now. i'm not off the hook.

i watched "the queen" movie last week. i liked it, but dad wouldn't have. it takes place only over a week, the week when princess di dies (di dies, heehe) till her funeral, and how out of touch the queen was with the people, and tony blair tries to wake her up. i liked tony. he really looked and acted like tony. the queen needed to look older, but maybe that's because it was a while ago.

i would say something else, but then that would be 6 things. love you

I can hardly contain my excitement

yep, that's true. i love my fam, and we are all gonna be together for the first time since the flood when kerry and braden got married. oh, wait, 2 babies weren't born yet. trying to figure out menus and grocery lists is a pain. as is trying to do a dvd. i really should have made one before i said i was gonna do one, so i would know what i was getting into.

we got dsl today--webcams arise again. this is with wowway. only thing is they could only get it going if they didn't go through the wireless router, so kevin will kill me until uncle dave can get over here to assist. and i'll be sad because i'll STILL have to fight to get on my own computer. rah!!

see you all soon

nada

well, tomorrow night I sleep in my wonderful king bed with unfeelable springs. and all my schtuff that i CAN do without...but why?

i love these guys here, but i miss the guys there. where is my husband??? need to see....need to see. and kevo also, for he is an interesting guy to talk with, and fun, too.

went to the seattle temple wednesday. did 10 initiatories and 2 endowment sessions. i died yesterday, but i am glad i got to go.

i am packing today. funny how spread out things got. kerry and braden will be happy to have their apt. back, though they will miss the free help.

here i am, love me

i thought that it's been awhile since i posted, so here i am. busy day today, appt. for jenna and kerry. kerry is still feeling poorly, although better than before, and using lots of pain meds still, so she is getting checked out. her resident is unavailable (watch us cry) so we see a family nurse practitioner. yea!! oh, then kerry started throwing up last night. will the trials never cease for this girl??? oh, and a list of errands if peeps are feeling ok.

i have started into a flare. at church, i had a definite inspiration that it was because my prayer, and the blessing braden gave me said that i would be able to do what i planned in helping kerry, and now that she and braden are taking care of jenna more, the blessing is over. i mean, yeah, i would rather feel well (as opposed to good) all the time, but if not, than at least i was able to help during the worst times. this makes me even more anxious for my own bed and lifeworks for swimming (to help with pain). it really is time for me to go home.

So, the above pictures, stolen from braden's comp are of jenna's first two sundays, where grandma got to play dress up with the baby doll. she looks so much more alert in the second photo. the last one, which i can't get to turn around, so you have to turn YOUR head is a day or so after delivery, with the picture of MY mom, so a 4 generation photo.

I am babysitting at the moment. everyone is asleep, which is the way i like them to be when i am in charge. we had to change formula for jenna as she was projectile vomiting and constipated. i am not sure i have seen a constipated baby before, but they were formed little poops, which looked too hard for a baby. now she just poops every 2 days, but a blowout. you should have seen kerry and braden's face the first time. that was when jenna got her second bath. hehe.

Kevo is going to his (girl)friends prom in may. he doesn't care, but she wants to go. it will be his first prom and afterprom, since he didn't go to his.

Ry gets to walk in graduation in may, so we will be going up to VT for that. dad and i may take a getaway vacation then, either to Maine or Montreal, leaving kev with ryan for a few days, probably before the graduation. Ryan has a summer internship with burlington, maybe keeping him on part time while he takes his last 2-3 classes in the fall. he interviewed for a "real" job with them in december after he graduates. no word on that yet. probably they want to see how he does for them this summer, etc. I blog this because he hasn't.

oh, a baby calls.

love you all, especially all grandchildren. i need to get to madeira...i haven't seen them since november. bye bye

ok, carolyn, you asked for it

The baby is no longer jaundiced. she eats well , and the other end is now going well too. for a while, she didn't latch on, and didn't eat enough to pee. her sleepy time is late afternoon. she is cute. well, really. the lactation consultant was here for a second visit, and baby is 6# 7 oz, after a low last thursday of 6# 1.4 oz.

Kerry is not doing so well. she and braden are at the dr.'s office now, after numerous phone calls all weekend to the docs on call. I believe she has a hematoma. she is in much pain which narcotics and ibuprofen aren't masking. she is now running a fever, also, and hurts everywhere. and possible mastitis, too. i told her that her health was more important than the breastfeeding. she has been pumping for days since it is too painful to try to get J. to feed. Support for whatever decision she makes is appreciated. Poor kerry. it is so hard as a mother to see my daughter in such distress. and i have a hard time managing the mother vs. midwife role. i don't want to be taking over, but where exactly is the line?

but may i rant about residents?!? i am so angry about her delivery, and partly blame myself for the mother/midwife thing. I realize that students need to learn, after all, i was a student once myself. but if you are a third year resident, one would think you would know enough about deliveries to manage a 6-7 pound baby. perineal support is critical, esp. if you insist that she deliver in a position that is guaranteed to increase risk of tearing. So, her hands were there, but who can tell how much support was given until after, when it is obvious that you didn't do your job!!! I left her delivery shouting silently, "THIS is why i became a midwife!....THIS is why i became a midwife." I don't think i could ever work in labor and delivery again, where i am not in charge of the labor and delivery. my poor daughter is paying the price for being "poor", and not having the "correct" insurance that would let her choose quality care instead of whichever resident. whooooo, steam is rising from my head, i better quit this subject. but i must say that most midwives take state insurance.

by the way, if you want to call here, call my cell. i only turn it on when awake, and it won't wake anyone if they are sleeping (and i get it fast enough). that way, if they are awake, maybe you could talk. i won't be offended if the reason you call my cell is to talk to them. don't call their cells though...they never turn them off.

Musings

While i know that kerry's blog states "still no bebe", i must beg to differ. This house, apt, is all about one bebe. Funny, no one has been watching any dvd's lately...except maybe i watched some 24 episodes. Braden only got in one attempt at WII golf. these are all great differences. When the baby goes down, everyone goes down, except me, who insists on sleeping all night. After all, grandmothers must have some rights.

I TOLD them that having the baby in their room all the time would keep them up all night, and day, but now, they finally believe me. all those snorts and sighs and gasps that wake one up so that they must check the baby to see that she is still breathing, not choking, and all A-OK. It is am now, and i have baby duty in the living/dining room. hopefully there is sleepage in the bedroom. i also have je..... in front of the sliding doors, as we actually have a bit of sunshine today instead of rain, and she is a bit jaundiced.

I went to costco and, buying the cheapest, bought huggies wipes in the 800 or so wipes size. these were cheaper and also had a coupon which i didn't know about at the register. However, they have all these "soothing" herbal crap stuff in them. they could gag a maggot BEFORE you clean up the poopies. Braden said, yeah, and we'll be using this many for like a year or more. i just laughed, saying, no, not a year. funny how wipes get used, right madeira-ites??

I wish ryan would blog all his good news.

i bought myself a wedding ring for my birthday. Now i can find the old one. it was just a cheap one from target, but i wanted one for until i found the other.

love you'uns.

i know you are all reading with bated breath

It is hard when you don't have your own computer to blog with. oh, i can connect with mine on their network, but i then remember that i have no virus software, and it makes me nervous.

Well, i strained my back on sunday...no conference for me. we went to er which was not busy, thank goodness. got some great prescriptions which i am off now, but still have if i relapse when kerry is in labor. also, the relief society pres and her hub brought over a twin bed and frame, so now i am off the ground. i am convinced that that was a major contributing factor, trying to get up from the floor several times a night plus in the am. i thought i would bring one of their shelves down, but luckily, they are so loaded, they didn't tip over.

today kerry goes to the doctor. she was hoping to miss it. she had contractions last night about every 20-30 minutes, so i went to bed. (when in doubt, sleep). seriously, i figured at that rate she would need me about 5 or6 am and i thought i'd rest up till then. she went to bed, and despite having contractions all night about 5-7 min, slept through most of them. kevin told her she was overdue and racking up dollar a day fines. not too much this am, it is quarter to 2 now. i think she and braden will be walking alot this weekend. unless jenna gets with the program.

i am reminded how unpleasant it is to live in an apartment. hopefully, if dad and i have to downsize, it will still be a separate space from other noisy people. and noisy washers, dryers, dishwashers, and waterfall toilet flushes.

Hey, i love you guys. happy b-day dan pretty soon.

city of clouds and excitemet

probably everybody who cares knows that i am in olympia awaiting jenna. the trip was absolutely awful, but i am glad to be here and know that i won't miss the arrival. kerry does actually look pregnant, and i took pics, but don't know how to post them from braden's comp. kerry's apt is cute (and braden's) and much nicer than their old one. but houses are the bomb because they have space to put things, yeah.

love you all.

happy birthday scott!! big 5 yesterday

Joseph Finder, yeah!

I have been reading books by joseph finder. wow, someone who can keep me guessing until the end. i thought ryan, in particular, would like "the moscow club". Many of you have seen the movie "high crimes". well, this guy wrote the book it was based on with the same name. And even though i knew what was going to happen, it was different enough and well written enough that it didn't matter. Then came the ending, and ****it was different. still heart stopping, but different, and i won't spoil it by telling you. then i read "Paranoia". WOW! WOW!! read it. that's all. just read it. i am now reading the last one that was available in the library. still good, but i don't know enough to rave.

love you all.

This and That

I so enjoy reading everyone's blog. I do it everyday, i think. So, i thought i ought to get on my butt (as opposed to off) and write something for all those other people who wonder why they haven't seen anything new.

mostly that's because nothing much happens here. I have been in a bad flare (o' fibro) for most of february. who wants to hear about that?? no one.

we also had warmer weather yesterday...in the 50's. but there is still a lot of dirty snow that needs to be melted. Should be about the same today. it has been raining and gray so far, but the radio promises me that it will be sunny by afternoon and also tomorrow and again, 50's. so there is sooooooooooooooooome hope.

Tonight should be Kevin's last church dance. they let them slide, apparently, while they are still 18, but you know what tomorrow is. At least, chronologically, he will be 19. He says that he might try to sneak into the April tri-stake youth dance. we'll see.

Ryan should be in Portland by now. and then to seattle sometime this week where he will see kerry and braden and hopefully not jenna. I am getting way excited about going to seattle. I am really glad that Kerry asked me to come and help. Makes me feel useful.

I love my grandchildren, born and unborn!!! I really enjoy being a grandmother. I wish i could see them more frequently. I would like to be a part of their lives that they remember, and say, "boy, grandma is COOL" (as opposed to, "who?")! I am still trying to figure out how that will happen if everybody lives all spread out. dunno. still trying to figure it out. I wouldn't want anyone saying, "Oh, she loves X better than me", or "her OTHER grandchildren are more important". I am willing to move, but to where?? this is where dan chimes in, "madeira!" but then what about everyone else. maybe i should have just had one child....but then which ones would i give up? none. oh, and by the way, i can't move while my dad is alive...i need to be here to help if he needs it. But i can't imagine that that would be more than say 3 years. and my friends are here. should i trade friends for family?? and i also have a brother and sister here. ah, quit the rambling...i hear you all now.

in other news, i am trying to load up dad's mp3 player. i have one session of conference on there, but i have downloaded all of april and october last year to the comp. just need to move them over. I also have folders ready for this april's conference. i have learned what "rip" means and also "sync". hooray for kevin, i am glad he is still here to educate me. i will also be putting on scottish music and anne murray..partially ripped. i am not sure what else he wants. when i get that far, i will have to ask him.

long post about nothing. but we are still alive. now you know.

OBITUARY

It is with profound regret that we announce the passing of Sharp Carousel Microwave. Steadfast in duty and always there for us, we never realized how much we would miss her until she was gone. When reached for comment, Miss Amy of Cincinnati, OH, stated, "No more dooty dooty doot doot doot??". That's right, now you only hear, "beep......beep......beep". She (the microwave) was getting old, and harder to clean, and in some ways, it was a blessing for her. She leaves behind, David, Christy and Kevin.

She was 9 years old.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

This is out the front door. which i cannot get out of.



Kids would love it. i, however, can't get out of my garage. This is looking out the front window where there is a 4-5 ft drift. maybe dan could hide behind it and lob snowballs at the kid next door

The mailman will have a blast. wonder what it will look like after he tromps through

to gauge the drift vs. the swing

I tried to open the back door to get this shot. oh. can't get out that way either. Just to the right of the picture is the upended wheelbarrow with its wheels barely out of the snow. Dan??

Perfectionism

Yes, i am a recovering perfectionist. well, maybe not recovering. i have many years as a perfectionist, so take what i say with all authority. i am not making this up. last instance of perfectionism: Sunday, i had to tell the missionaries that they had written "olmstead" on their flyer. i did tell them that i had read it, and it was very nice, and i was sorry i was so anal (i didn't say anal to them), but to NEVER EVER EVER put an "a" in olmsted again.

Perfectionism is not all good nor all bad. it depends on the extent. for example, i can write a blog without capitalization, and it doesn't bother me. my house can get pretty messy before it must be cleaned up.

But there is a DARK SIDE to perfectionism, and i ain't kidding. sometimes Perfectionism keeps a person from trying new things, because, what if they aren't perfect on the first try. you know whom you are. sometimes, people paint a Perfectionist picture of what they could or should be, and when they turn out to be only human, they feel disgusted with themselves and shamed that others will discover that they aren't perfect. you still know whom you are.

can't we realize that we are all in a state of learning/education?? When Christ said, "Be ye therefore perfect even as I and my Father in Heaven are perfect", that he didn't mean we would achieve this Perfectionism in this life. we have to be on the path. we have to repent when we fall. we need to access the Atonement and claim its benefits for ourselves. and we have to keep trying.

Let's give ourselves a break. i feel such sorrow for people who can't admit their problems, or ask for help because the discovery that they aren't perfect is too much to admit to. (never end a sentence with a preposition). God loves us all.

If you are calling me on my cell phone....

don't. at least not for a while. it has been lost since last sunday, after i talked to dan but while i was waiting for kerry to call. i slipped it in the waistband of my pants, since i didn't have a belt loop. monday i discovered it was gone. since it has battery issues, by the time i called it, it was dead, so, no help finding it. if i do find it, i'll let you know.

home, home again

man, i am so excited to be home and sleeping in my own bed. not that lacey wasn't fun, but, wow, my bed. and my hubby. good to snuggle again. and kev, coming in to greet me with a big hug last night. well, here are the prego pictures (it's IN there!)


this is the sunday before i left.

this looks like it should be at the end, but it was near the beginning of the visit.

ahh, lazy sundays.

my next post will be about the kilted leaf rakers.

out here where the time is always wrong to call people

so, i came to seattle to see Kerry and braden last wednesday, and it is a wednesday again. i leave next wednesday, dec 13th to come back home. so, i have seen all my children within one month. pretty cool. i would just like to report on the facts: kerry is pregnant. i took pictures, but my hookup is at home, so you will have to wait another week to see that there is a bump where concavity once reigned. i can tell, although i can see why some people can't.

we are just hanging out, taking it slow. although that is also because we haven't a car to gallivant around in. I got my ticket here for free from capital one, but they wanted about $350 for renting a car for 2 weeks. nuts to that. especially because if we gallivanted, we would have to rest the next day, so we'd be paying for 2 days for every one that we used it. i am trying to go to seattle, well, bellvue, to go to the temple and to beehive clothing while i am here. hopefully friday.

love to all,
i miss you'uns and love ya too.
mom

yeah, well...

So, this has been a month of real surprises. on the 19th, we were in Cincinnati for joel's b-day and kennedy's blessing. very fun.

then we drove back, arriving exhausted and needing a bathroom badly on sunday night. there was a plate of muffins on the step to the kitchen with a note and a sign that said, "halt!! do not proceed further until you have eaten a muffin and read the note and do what it says." I said, nuts to that, i've got to go to the bathroom, and then i'll check it out. a few moments later, i came back. i wondered, well, the quists took kevin to church, presumably, and sr. quist likes to make muffins, so maybe they were from her. but why the note. maybe she was mad that we didn't talk to her directly about the ride, but we wanted kevin to take some responsibility.

so, we opened the note, and read a poem that i noted was in ryan's handwriting, but thought nothing of it, just that that was curious. it was about how we must miss our son, etc., and what a baker he was. i am at this point still clueless. the last part was that that dad and i must hold hands and chant, "muffin man, muffin man, come give me a hug!". then out jumps ryan from the living room (he had to hide when i went to the bathroom unexpectedly). I was soooo surprised. i did not GET it until that moment. how cool it was to see ryan, whom we had not seen since last march.

Swartwood reunion

So, everybody save the dates of June 16-23 or 4 for the great reunion. we found a house with 7 bedrooms for all grandchildren and great grandchildren and me and dad. check out www.vacationhomes.com/23547 the living room is small, but there is a large common area downstairs. also, one covered and one uncovered deck. the latter is very large, overlooking the lake. right below is a public beach that you can steeply get down to, or drive 3 minutes and park at. grandpa saw a park across the street from the house with slides, swings, etc., but no one else saw it. a block a way is a park with an old artillery piece, a gazebo, and lots of green space, good for games. if you follow the link, you'll see what city it is in for you google earthers. the # is 103 plum st.

please, please plan to come.

love,
mom

Whoa! Big changes.

We had a special meeting today for the North Olmsted, 7 hills, cleveland, lorain, and westlake ward, in the which they severely changed all the boundaries.

Our ward now consistes of North Olmsted, Westlake, Olmsted township and falls, and north ridgeville.

Westlake ward is no more...they imploded into us, avonlake went to lorain, rocky river bay and fairview park went to the new Lakewood ward.

Strongsville, berea, brookpark, middleburg hts broke off from north olmsted and went to the new strongsville ward. this also includes , north royalton, brecksville and broadview hts, which came from the defunct 7 hills ward.

7 hills also joined with the cleveland first ward, which consists of cleveland, parma, parma hts., brooklyn, brooklyn hts. and garfield heights, 7 hills, independence and valley view.

wow. next week, we meet as usual. in two weeks, we meet as new wards. this affects our bishopric (2 counselors), primary entire presidency, elder's quorum presidency, high priests' group leaders, young women presidency. should be interesting, but i know it is the right thing to do.

i'm alive, really I am

So, you see that i am here, even though i haven't posted. do you like the green color of my text?? i have been away visiting cincinnati, well, not so much the city as the wonderful people at ...i was going to type the address, but then i realized how stupid that was. my children and grandchildren. i was very excited to be asked to help, although amy saw through that right away and only said, "goodbye" and "goodbye, grandma" to me. scott and joel and kennedy and i had a good time. well, joel stopped liking me by saturday when he realized that if i was there, then mommy would maybe leave. on that day, every time he saw me, he ran away to find mommy to make sure she wasn't leaving. Scott made my day on saturday when he said, with no prompting, "I'm going to miss you, grandma!" yeah, baby, that's what i live for. it was cool to see a blessing work right away. David blessed me that i would not be in pain (although sometimes i needed drugs to achieve this) and to be able to serve as i desired. that was cool. then i got home, and immediately went into a flare, which i am still in. that systemic yeast stuff. i mean, imagine never having any sweets or grains (or fruits) ever again. that's what they say i have to do. can't do it, baby. i could probably cut down, but i can't completely give them up.




So, you can see that they really enjoyed me. well, to tell the truth, this is saturday, and joel had figured me out. plus it was naptime. and amy is far away from me, so she's ok.

Aren't they cute. someone has a nose issue, however.

and we are so cute together.

love, mom

randomocity

so, i see i haven't blogged in awhile, so i am starting, and hoping that something will come to me as i type.

My foot is doing well post-surgically. i see the dr for my 4 week checkup on friday. unless i spend humongous times on my feet, no probs. i have even driven with it.

I believe that I have my NANO theme ready to go. It involves something dear to my heart, though i will have to fictionalize it somewhat. This, for those who don't know is trying to write a novel in one month, november, i forget how many words. ryan knows all about it. i wasn't sure if i could do it, as i didn't have a theme that stuck. i would love to do a murder mystery, action thriller without sex, but i really don't know much about police procedure, fbi, seals, cia, etc., so i would only be going from all the gazillion books with this theme that i have read.

Dawn and I are going to check out a place on Marblehead for the reunion, after i call and see if it is available. it is www.greatrentals.com/OH/63o2.html hope the link works. i forgot to originally include the www, so if it doesn't work, put the www in.

kevin already hates mcdonalds, but we told him that he can't quit without another job in place. he is especially griping because this is his first week at real "full-time", and as they have him on nights, he misses a lot of activities. He says, "i'll never have any time off!" all those of you who work full-time know the adjustment it takes. i did tell him that education is the only way out of mindless, boring jobs that are awful. if you like what you do, at least it makes it more bearable to work full-time.

so, kerry is gone from today til the 28th, working 11+ hour days at a great translating opportunity, and something else to put on her resume. I ask you all to pray for her, for the fatigue factor of pregnancy will make it even more difficult. don't expect to hear from her or see her blog till probably october. braden, however, has all our permission to blog.

ah, dreams

the stuff of fantasy and weirdness..

so, i meant to blog sunday about my dream saturday night, but sundays there seems to be a mad rush to the comp, and i rarely get on.



i dreamed that the church called kerry on a mission. braden had to stay finishing school. but they called kerry as a missionary because they needed her special skillset. no one would do but her. then they called me as her companion, so that if she went into labor, i could deliver her (probably so the church wouldn't have a medical bill :-).



so, we walked around all the time missionarying. I don't know where we went on the mission. i assume it was spanish speaking. i remember that kerry was the senior comp.
the end.

the saga

saga is a texttwist word, for those in the know

this is the story, or once upon a time, there was a rhododendron bush sleeping away in a plant store. it looked great! it said it could live in part shade to shade.

so, this lovely rhododendron bush was lovingly purchased and planted in the bedroom garden of a home in north olmsted. it got lots of sun in the spring, and bits (but only bits) of sun in the summer. but, hey, it likes shade. and the maple tree shaded it well, lo, these many years.

poor rhododendron, to go to a home where gardening is a hit or miss proposition. why, oh why, was it planted where said maple tree stole nearly all the moisture from the soil, and blocked the rain from hitting the ground in said garden.

it lived. but barely. it never grew. it had some leaves, but it didn't look healthy. then it started to die.

in the meantime, said unaccomplished gardener decided to make a hedge to block the view into the back yard. rhododendron plants are supposed to get big. just this one hadn't. so,

like the parable about the seed in good ground, the gardener decided to move poor rhododendron plant to the sunny, quite wet location of the new hedge.

LO!! i mean, LO!! the leaves started to look healthy, and there was one beautiful pink blossom within a week or two. how did the gardener rejoice!!

then, the rhododendron died.
the end

oh what awful feet


but, actually, this is my awful foot. the others are kevin's after his ingrown toenails were fixed.

to whomever cares

so, i had my surgery done on wednesday. i am still alive, i love my pain pills. i lay around with my foot up and don't have to feel guilty. no crutches...hooray!! that probably would have done more damage than the surgery. i have a special surgery shoe that i wear for protection.

"It's the end of the world as we know it"

I was listening to NPR this morning. They mention that Newt Gingrich is an advisor to the Pentagon. First of all, he is crazy. i mean certifiable. note his antics as speaker of the house. he resigns under a cloud of illegal activities or suspicions. Somehow, he still has a job.

anyway, he was quoted about his advice about Iran, and the probs with nuclear capability which they won't give up, possible supplying weapons to hezbollah, blah,blah,blah. His advice? REGIME CHANGE!!!!! if he wasn't certifiable before, surely this makes the case. we shouldn't have gone into iraq, IMHO (i know your views, braden, leave me to mine), we fight a mounting insurgency, we haven't enough troops there, recruiting is down, so let's do the same thing in iran. luckily, the white house vetoed his advice, saying diplomacy would be better (a hard lesson learned). of course this was after they sat down and looked at the consequences of such an action, nuclear bombing of israel, destruction of our bases in the area, possible bombing of american cities, inciting WWIII, armageddon, etc.

sheesh

why i haven't blogged

Hello, everyone. for most, my name is mom. for others, christy. that's in case people have forgotten me.

No one ever wants to really know how you feel, so i have not blogged because i am in a tremendous flare since beginning of january. i also have had reactions to several different herbs and/or medicines which have given me severe diarrhea, cramping, or impossible headaches. Not to mention, i have been under a vow of silence to one person who would have killed me if i had spilled the beans about one of the things i have been thinking about lately.

today, i feel ok. so, HI!!

the weather today is better than that heat wave we have been experiencing along with most of the country. yesterday was 76, today it is 70 at 10:30 am. grateful for the break from the dog days.

i am soooooo excited about being a grandmother for the 4th and 5th times!!!! yea!! this is one of the reasons i so want to be healthy....i want to have an impact on my grandchildren's lives. i want to be able to sit on the floor and play with them. i want to be able to hold them for periods of time. i want, someday when they are all a little older, to have cousin camp, where we take all the grandchildren for a few days to a week and do cool things with them while their parents have a break. or hang out together themselves.

i love my family. hope you all know that. that's why i want to live close by in order to interact. i am willing to move once i have money. or why, when i have money, to assist in building my children's homes in order to have a mother-in-law suite so i can visit for periods of time without getting in people's faces.

i guess that's my post of today.

family pictures

To the left, patrick, greg, jared, pam wil (hasn't he grown), mitch, mark,
and jessica aubrie, karene, and jake


Alan, laNice, and aunt helen Dave, jackie, candace, rebecca, rick,
(aunt helen is grandpa G's sister.) and sarah.








these are the individual pictures. couldn't find the big family . note the family resemblance. alan, rick, david, pam, and mark. especially the high foreheads. pam just has some hair covering hers :)

so, i got some pictures up here, but it was never so easy as dan said. no button just appearing when i go to blog.

some about the massanutten reunion

this is david and kevin holding the scottish (old) and american flags at the start of the Va games.

This is one of my favorite just our family portraits because of carolyn futiley (sp?) trying to get away from the gnats. they were awful. somehow i don't see the big family picture in my pictures. oh, and i have a better one of us from the reunion. this was just funny.

David went with some to monticello. says he didn't get enough time there, which is probably true. there was the drive to get there, and then back for dinner. i told him he just should have been late to dinner.

Well, this isn't the reunion, but it has to do with scottish games in a way. we took ( i am using we in the queen's way) down the rusting basketball hoop. while kev and dad were in the process of getting the bolts out, we very scottishly (read, use what you have) used ryan's caber to hold up the backboard until it was ready to come down.

This was at monticello, and we all agree that it is the coolest tree ever.

so, i got pictures up...still wondering how i did it.

love, mom

great grandchildren

someone else is giving grandpa great grandchildren....

dan, the only buttons i have are for bold, italics, color of text, links, a pair of opening quote marks, spellchecker and "edit html"